■258 Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society. 



"to extend their lists into the region of the unknown, and too often unknow- 

 able, varieties, "far fetched and dear bought," but the commercial planter 

 will not venture much beyond the old and well proven list. 



2. Indivduals and societies have done a grand work in "furnishing positive 

 'data for the guidance of fruit-growers. We point with pride to the living 



and written works of our Downings, Warder, and Thomas. We honor our 

 Wilder in his devotion to the great American society, and the long array of 

 lesser lights, but as devoted and iiseful to the pomology of the West; may 

 the number of them never be less. 



3. Every locality, which has its own naturally distinct features of soil and 

 climate, should also have its local pomology, with its corps of observers 

 and its experimental stations, its local societies, and published records. Our 

 ■public and private schools should teach elementary horticulture, and our 

 ■State and national goverment should give substantial aid to this increasing 

 interest of our country. 



Members and friends of the Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society, 

 gathered from twenty different States of our Union, and from twenty de- 

 grees of latitude, representing the great valley from Superior to the Gulf, 

 bearing the fruit productions of great extremes of climate, and great varia- 

 tions of soil, gathered with one accord, but of many minds (a fair type of 

 our horticulture, greatly diversified, but an ultimate unit), to us the question 

 comes, what will we do in this great work of placing the horticulture of the 

 Mississippi Valley upon an enduring foundation, and that each locality maj' 

 have a more definite and practical knowledge of the laws of adaptation ? 



PLANTING FRUIT TREES. 



BY G W. MINIER, OF ILLINOIS. 



The fruit supply of the country has become a practical question. Years 

 gone by fruit was esteemed a luxury, now it is deemed a necessity. That the 

 usual supply has been cut off in the last few years, in many portions of the 

 country, is patent to every observing man. The cause and the remedy be- 

 long to the thoughtful. It has, somehow, got into the minds of the people 

 ■that fruit trees are everlasting, instead of being only perennial. Our first 

 orchards are not merely growing old — they have become practically worth- 

 less. In almost every other pursuit men are thoughtful, careful and wise. 



To insure a flock of sheep they know lambs must be raised; pigs are the 

 forerunner of hogs, and calves the harbingers of cattle. But our old orchards 

 stand, year after year, with blasted limbs, dead tops and decayed bodies, and 

 yet we complain of the seasons and arraign Providence for not giving us fruit. 

 This is certainly unwise, and from a religious standpoint it looks impious. 

 If, as the Apostle Paul says, "the gospel is the power of God to salvation," 



